The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-09-10
THE IVES COTERIE.

Ives, Stayner and their allies are
likely to occupy public attention
for some time to come. And, by
the way, there are few facts con-
cerning these persons which by
some chance have not appeared in
public print even if they are gen.
orally known. Ives, for instance,
is said to have once been a clerk
for Harper d Brothers, the pub
fishers. He really began as a bell
boy for Joseph Harper when he
was about II years old, and later,
became a clerk in the establishment.
But he was young eagle in dove
cote. 1t was too quiet and peace
full He wanted to enter that Gehen-
ma of speculative excitement, Wall
street, and he did when he was
about 20 years old. He was bright,
promising boy, with pleasant, in
gratiating manners, and readily
obtained a place. He was with a
number of firms, and the list has
never been correctly stated in print,
though, of course, it is not an i'm
portant matter. He is said to have
been discharged from one place for
dishonesty. AS he grew older, but
while still clerk, he speculated in
fifty and one hundred shares and
bought puts and calls. By hook
and by crook he got together
enough money to 60 into the brok-
erage business himself, and the
sequel is that the former bell boy
fails for the nominal sum of $l5,-
! 100000
On one occasion | talked to Ives
at his office for some minutes un
der the impression that he was one
of the clerks. His office is on the
southwest corner of Nassau and
Cedar streets, within a short dis
tance from where Aaron Burr once
lived and within a stones throw of
the site of the ancient Dutch church
once occupied 10y the postoflice,
anu NutIt UON sldlluS oiiC VI tiic
finest Of the commercial palaces of
New York. There, by the way, ex-
President Arthur had his law office.
Nassau street is one of the oldest
thoroughfares in the city, having
been laid out two hundred years
ago, and was named in honor of
William of Nassau, or as he is gem
orally known in history, William
III of England. Washington, Alex
ander Hamilton and Aaron Burr,
Talleyrand, Louis Philippe and
Washington Irving, and III later
times Emerson, General Grant and
many Others of wide celebrity have
passed slowly along the ancient
! thoroughfare, hut none re ii IL one Sense
more remarkable than the quickly
moving young man of slight build,
somewhat under the medium height,
with curly brown hair, a smooth,
innocent face, having yet certain
lurking, sinister expression in spite
of the reassuring gold-bowed spec
tacles seemingly indicative of the
student at Andover. The young
man has a courtly address, attract
i've manners and cordially greets
acquaintance. He is pointed out
as Henry S. Ives.
Ives lives III Brooklyn in the
hight of luxury. He has colored
valet to whom he has been in the
habit of giving carte blanche in the
matter of expenditures for furnish
ing the house Recently this en-
terprising colored person bought, |
understand, $4,000 worth of beau.
tiful decorations, including fine
bronzes, and got a commission Of
10 per Get on the purchases.
Then there is George Stayner.
The newspapers have said little of
his antecedents because they seem
to know very little about him. He
came, as is generally known, from
New London, Connecticut, and is
about 60 years of age. He is short,
squat, bow-legged, and waddles like
Gen. Butler. How did he get his
first start? | haven't seen a line
in print on this subject. In New
London, some twenty-five years
ago, there was one of those obscure
geniuses who have the inventive
faculty largely developed, but who
know little or nothing of business /
or the ways of the world. He in
vented lathe for printing the fila
gree engraving on the backs of bank
notes; it had a peculiar movement
and it did almost instantaneously |
what might take days to do by the
old method which, moreover, was
not only slower but much more
expensive. The inventor was
drowned a short time after he had
shown Stayner his invention. Stay
ner obtained possession of it and
came to New York. He went to
the office of the American Bank /
Note Company and asked for the
presi lent. He was told that that
official was engaged.
"No matter if he is" was Stay
ner's response. II wish to see HIM
II